Is Leipzig worth a visit?
 

We want to visit a town called Quedlindburg in eastern Germany which is a Unesco World Heritage Site. The only way I can fit it into my present tentative itinerary for 2006 is to travel by train 3 hours from Wurzburg to Leipzig for maybe a 3-day stay and visit Quedlindburg from Leipzig for the day. Then we would travel by train from Leipzig to Krakow (10 hours).
In my research I can't seem to get a handle on what Leipzig offers as a tourist site. Can anyone tell me if it's worth visiting.If it's not, I would probably cut Quedlindburg from my itinerary. We visited eastern Germany last year and thoroughly enjoyed Weimar, Dresden and Berlin. But I'm very unsure about Leipzig!

Though every town in Europe i've been to is worth visiting to me, i'd put Leipzig way down at the bottom of the list. It does have what is billed as Europe's largest train station.

Poor Leipzig, it'll never be a Berlin, Prague, or Barcelona. But it's not chopped liver either. I can't help it. I root for the underdog. :-) I think you could easily spend 2 or 3 days there.

I was able to visit Leipzig 3 times in '98, '99 and '00. A friend of mine was there with his family supervising the rebuilding of a chemical factory outside of town. It was amazing to see the changes in just that short time as they dumped money into building away from the communist block mentality.

I enjoyed visiting Leipzig, especially at that time. Services were starting to fall into place after the Berlin Wall came down. There was stuff to see and do. Yet not many people bother to go there. I think it's a great chance for you to see a part of Germany most tourists never do.

Auerbach's Keller is an excellent fine dining restaurant. Mentioned in Goethe's opera "Faust" it's been around for centuries.

The massive Battle of Leipzig monument a little south of town is a piling of stone that is different to see. A very orderly red/green light system keeps the narrow staircase to the very top flowing smoothly.

They have an extensive instrument museum. It was the first place I saw a real, actual glass harmonica. They just don't write music for the glass harmonica like they used too.

The opera house is rather East German utilitarian. I did see a nice production of Mozart's "Magic Flute" there.

There's a small museum with Egyptian pieces.

If you're a Bach fan the Bose house has been turned into a museum for Bach. Instruments, writings and furnishings of his fill it. The Thomaskirche where he worked is worth visiting.

A university building just to the southeast of the opera house has a fascinating elevator. It's a continuously running loop of 2 person boxes that you just step into and out of. I wasn't brave enough to see what happened if you try to ride over the top.

The art museum Museum der Bildenden Kunste was closed for renovation the times I was there. It's supposed to have a nice collection.

I've listed things I remember seeing. You can visit this web site for more stuff:

http://www.leipzig.de/int/en/stadt_l...es/index.shtml

Absolutely agree with indytravel. I live in Dresden and use to be in Leipzig for business reasons from time to time - I always enjoy my time there!

I particularly like the lively city centre with the many so called "Passagen" - the shopping arcades, built around 1900. Yes, the Art Museum has recently been opened - well worth to see. Beside the sights indy mentioned there is quite something to see about the demonstrations initiating the fall of the wall in 1989 - the Nikolai church, where the demonstrations began, the Stasi (East German secret service) museum etc.

By the way, it seems to me you "collect" UNESCO world heritage sites. Just for your interest, Dresden and the Elbe valley are such a site, officially since a couple of weeks.

I.

We liked Leipzig, and dining at the Auerbach's Keller is a must. (Bought a gimme cap there -- yes, east Germany got gimme caps -- that says "475th Anniversary." Take that, McDonald's!) Don't let anything make you miss Quedlinburg!

Finally made it to my notes. My friend's favorite restaurant was Zill's Tunnel. I ate there 2 or 3 times. Excellent food, but less pricey then Auerbach's Keller.

Upon return I'd be tempted to have a beer at Auerbach's then dinner at Zill's.

Here's the web site though it's only German.

www.zillstunnel.de

Well i'll have to give Leipzig another look!

It woudln't be my first choice, but it's fine. Our church choir attended a conert in, then also sang a concert in, Bach's church. If you are a fan of classical music, there is quite a bit to see. Because of the concerts, I think we spent three days there. We did tour the zoo and visit some department stores, for something to do. Thre is a bit of the history about the fall of communism involving a lot of candles - I dont' remember the story, but it would have been neat to have gone to that site. Bottom line: If you are willing to do some research, you should find stuff to do.

Thanks, everyone, for your input. Your comments have helped make Leipzig more inviting.
PalQ, how long was your stay in leipzig?
Did you find nothing of interest in the city?
Ingo, Actually I just recently learned that Quedlinburg was a UNESCO site. Frankly, that doesn't have any bearing on where I choose to visit. My interest in Quedlinburg was piqued by an obscure book that I accidently discoverd at the library called TREASURE HUNT about the theft of valuable art objects from that city by an American soldier during WW11 and how a New York Times reporter cracked the case 50 years later.
We thought it would be interesting to see the treasures, and learned later that the town itself is a real gem.

I will admit that my 'stay' in Leipzig was just a few hours whilst waiting for a night train. But, being an inveterate walker, i walked miles around the city and was struck at how awful it seemed compared to other German cities. Now this was just after the changeover from DDR control and the city looked like a war zone - it probably has been spruced up a bit. But i still stick by my comments that it's one of the least-appealing German cities for the average tourist. Not that it can't be interesting - but time would be better spent in nearby Weimar, Erfurt, Eisenach or Naumburg - four ex-DDR cities that even then i found extremely nice. Yes just a few hours in Leipzig but that was enough for me. I'd be interested to hear what you think after you go there.

doobeydoo - that story of the treasure in Quedlinburg is indeed extremely interesting. Fine that it turned out the treasure came back to Q.

PalQ - there has been A LOT of restoration work been done in Leipzig's city centre. An infamous tycoon called Mr. Schneider bought and restored plenty of great old buildings - and finally could not pay the bills (about 3 or 4 billion DM) ... he went bankrupt and with him a number of craftsmen/small construction companies ... and the chairman of the Deutsche Bank said that was just "peanuts" ... since then the Deutsche Bank has a lousy reputation in (East) Germany.

And if you're completely fed up with Leipzig, there is always Halle, next door, the home of Handel. Never been, but heard it's nice.
http://www.halle.de/index.asp?MenuID=948

Our law firm was involved in the Quedlindburg case. Look up Randall Mathis in the table of contents.

I'm resurrecting this LEIPZIG thread to ask INGO or anyone who knows about touring the new BMW factory in Leipzig.

I found the tour request form for the very modern BMW factory on the internet in case anyone is interested:
http://www.bmw-werk-leipzig.de/leipz.../de/index.html
Anyone has heard/experienced the tour? I'm still looking for things to do in the immediate surrounding of Leipzig. Wondering how interesting Halle is.

Sorry, DAX, but I cannot help with that tour. My ex-girlfriend toured the Porsche factory and liked it a lot, but no idea about the BMW factory.

The immediate surrounding of Leipzig does not really offer much. Halle ... I was not impressed a couple of years ago. They have a small old town with some restored townhouses, churches etc., but the rest of the city is simply ugly. This year they celebrate 1200th anniversary, though, and there is an interesting exhibit at castle Moritzburg in Halle.

My first ideas for day trips were Wittenberg and, depending on month, the gardens/chateaux of Wörlitz, Oraniebaum etc. around Dessau (maybe with a visit of the Bauhaus museum).

Don't you think Leipzig would entertain you enough? :-)

I.

Hi Ingo,

I read your brief comment somewhere (VT?)that you had a good time visiting Leipzig. Any specifics? All I can come up with are the Auerbachs Keller, Ziltunnel restaurant, Passagen, Sankt Thomas church choir, the other church with the student protest history, Porsche & BMW tour, the giant train station/mall. Anything else to add to the list? I'm considering taking my wife & kids there after Berlin & Hamburg.

I'd consider Dresden except for the fact that I'm flying Swiss Airline which only flies out of Leipzig not Dresden. Thanks for your help. I have to research more on Lutherstadt Wittenberg which I know is important to Evangelisch which we're not.

Just researched Lutherstadt Wittenberg (30 min from Leipzig) and am impressed by its size and how much it has to offer to visitors besides the Luther's reform church: Lukas Cranach's house, Hundertwasser school and nice town squares as well. Anyone has been there?

Is Leipzig worth a visit

- in my opinion: definitely yes.

We want to visit a town called Quedlindburg in eastern Germany which is a Unesco World Heritage Site. The only way I can fit it into my present tentative itinerary for 2006 is to travel by train 3 hours from Wurzburg to Leipzig for maybe a 3-day stay and visit Quedlindburg from Leipzig for the day.

- great idea to visit Quedlinburg. They have preserved their medieval city remakably well. There you get a better impression than you might get at Rothenburg o.d.T. Some more at http://www.quedlinburg.de/neu/englis.../sehensw.shtml
Here, you are off the beaten track, but, as they offer their official Quedlinburg website also in English, Spanish and Japanese (German spoken in Quedlinburg) the town officials want to put an end to that.
Why won´t you stay for three days at Quedlinburg? So, you can get this touch and feel of a travel in time there. And, Wernigerode, a harz mountain town is also in reach.

On the other hand, Leipzig offers accomodation with an excellent prize-performance-ratio (four* hotel double room for 50 EUR /person), so you should do further research on this.

In my research I can't seem to get a handle on what Leipzig offers as a tourist site. Can anyone tell me if it's worth visiting
- nobody, who doesn´t know about your personal preferences can tell you.

Leipzig is (for Saxony and also Germany) a big city with a great history. Leipzig is a town inhabited by people who like to live there. For its University, there are lot of young people living there.

From its history, Leipzig is remarkable for being a commercial center due to its trade fair (Leipziger Messe). This is nowadays not as big as it has been before. But the Main Station (Hauptbahnhof) still is one of the largest in Germany.

Leipzig has been (up to 1943) the center of German Book trade. If you are interested in books, you will find book stores and antique book sellers.

Leipzig has been - and still is - a town of musical tradition. Bach lived and worked here. Gewandhaus and Opernhaus are the places of musical performance. here: http://www.leipzig.de/int/en/kultur_gastonomie/

Let me put it this way: The Saxony triangle is a line connecting the towns of Chemnitz, Leipzig and Dresden, as things are made in Chemnitz, sold in Leipzig and in Dresden the money made is wasted.

Dresden is beautiful, also a great tourist site for a week or two, as t has a great hinterland.
Leipzig is more vibrant in my opinion, it has its own charm but it is not like the polished Dresden town.
Chemnitz, well, if I would have to get a handle on what Chemnitz offers as a tourist site, they have some architecture there, some museums (the expressionist painter Schmitt-Rottluff was born in Chemnitz) and if you want to travel into Erzgebirge, maybe Seiffen for its woodwork artisans, Chemnitz will make a base.

PS: Auerbachs Keller management did a great job on public relations, when they got Goethe to place a scene of his drama "Faust" there. Goethe did for this place what James Joyce did for Guiness.

Zills Tunnel is located at a small road called Barfussgässchen, the center of Leipzig inns. In reach of Zills Tunnel you will find the Coffebaum (coffee tree) one of the oldest cofee houses around. http://www.coffe-baum.de/

Thanks Hildebrant, your description of Leipzig being "vibrant" is encouraging for me. I heard there's been a lot of new construction and gentrification in Leipzig. Do you have any specific activity in Leipzig that you can recommend?

Appreciate your recommendation for Quedlinburg & Wernigerode. We've been there and loved both places. My kids are now into exploring big cities rather than small towns.